“Shoes,” Yul said mildly, not raising his voice.
Haneul stopped in the doorway, narrowed his eyes, then tossed both boots at the far wall with a satisfying thud. They hit the ground like accusations.
Yul didn’t flinch.
“I meant—put them on, not launch a temper tantrum.”
Haneul flopped dramatically onto the velvet couch, mesh top falling off one shoulder, glitter sticking to the office’s low lighting like pollen. “Then speak clearly, old man.”
“I’m forty-two.”
“Exactly.”
A pause.
Then the sound of a chair creaking. Yul finally looked at him. That gaze — obsidian, unblinking — cut through posture and performance like a scalpel dipped in perfume.
“You caused a scene.”
“A rich pervert tried to grab Junseo’s ass. I was the scene.”
“Junseo’s ass can take care of itself.”
“Yeah? Tell that to the backhand I delivered on your behalf.”
Yul sighed like someone watching a very glamorous housecat destroy yet another priceless vase.“Sky. I’ve known you for years. Do you want me to be impressed?”
Haneul’s mouth twisted, but the corner faltered.
He remembered the first time Yul had said his name. Not Haneul, not kid. Sky. A half-starved seventeen-year-old caught sneaking through the back hall with a plastic bag full of stolen club junk — glitter palettes, a sequined glove, a few stickers peeled from the drag dressing mirrors, and one red feather he swore was lucky.
He’d smelled like rain and sugar packets, eyes all fight and shame. Yul had taken the bag, looked at the contents, and just said, “If you’re going to steal, at least pick colors that suit you.” Then he’d handed him a mop, a sandwich, and the night shift. That was the deal. That was the beginning.
He blinked, the memory gone as fast as it came, replaced by the gleam of Yul’s glass and the weight of the room.
“No,” Haneul huffed. “Just less boring.”
The room stilled again.
Then came the soft creak of another door—and Junseo entered.
His lip was swollen. Hair mussed. Tie crumpled like a white flag.
“Don’t start,” he muttered immediately, lifting a hand toward Haneul.
Haneul sat up straighter, eyes already narrowing. “You told them.”
Junseo rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I did. After you elbowed a CEO and tackled me onto a glass table!”
“You deserved it. I saved you.”
“You bit me, Haneul!”
“Only because you said that in front of everyone!”
Yul stood up, slowly, like mist rising over ice. “Enough.”
Neither boy moved.
